What is the Turing Scheme? How may I apply? Am I eligible? This allows students to earn grants to be able to travel internationally. It can help in covering costs things like living costs. It is a replacement for the Erasmus programme. This Your Benefits article will look at everything you need to know about the Turing Scheme.
What is the Turing Scheme?
The Turing Scheme is a government programme that aims to encourage students to take international opportunities in their education. It was put in place following Brexit. Indeed, it was designed to replace the Erasmus programme, which has a similar aim. The goal of the scheme is to provide said goal to more than 40,000 students.
Many universities, colleges and schools have already applied to participate in the Turing Scheme. If this is the case for yours, you may be able to ask for a grant to study abroad, for opportunities in education and training across the world, through an international experience.
The goal of the UK government is to allow more students to study and work internationally. Furthermore, one way that they achieve this is by giving roughly 48% of placements to students from disadvantaged or low-income backgrounds.
The Turing Scheme allows for students to go to more countries than the Erasmus programme allowed for. Indeed, the scheme opens funding for students to go study or work in more than 150 countries.
The Turing Scheme vs Erasmus
There are a lot of differences between the Turing Scheme and Erasmus. To be more specific, the Turing Scheme:
- Enable students to spend both long and short amounts of time abroad: the longest length is a year;
- Allow students to go to a larger number of destinations abroad;
- Can only be used by students in the United Kingdom’s own educational system: it does not benefit students outside of the United Kingdom;
- Does not allow funds to cover staff training happening in European universities;
- Does not apply to students coming into the UK: unlike Erasmus, it is not an exchange program.
The number of student taking advantage of overseas opportunities has not been high in the United Kingdom. Furthermore, education staff were previously able, through Erasmus, to take up training in EU universities. However, the Turing Scheme will not only apply to United Kingdom students.
This means that they will be able to take study and work placements abroad. Additionally, the Turing Scheme is less limited than Erasmus, as it does not require countries to take part in it. As such, it is able to offer more opportunities to a higher number of nations.
Furthermore, many students may not have been able to partake in the Erasmus programme for financial reasons. However, the Turing Programme offers more opportunities for students from disadvantaged backgrounds to participate.
Am I eligible for the Turing Scheme?
Students in higher education are eligible to the Turing Scheme. Indeed, you do not have to be a certain level of study, as it applies to postgraduates, undergraduates, and even those who are within 12 months of their graduation. Additionally, the scheme does not discriminate between those who studying part-time and those studying full-time.
You may be of another nationality than British. Not to worry. In order to be eligible, you must be studying in a United Kingdom or British Overseas Territory higher education provider.
Requirements will depend on your sector. They include the higher education (HE), further education (FE), vocational education and training (VET), sector, among others.
If your institution is in the higher education (HE) sector, its requirements are as follows:
- The organization needs to be registered in either the United Kingdom or a British Overseas territory as a higher education provider;
- Those applying for Turing Scheme funding need to either be students or graduates: for graduates, their application to the scheme need to be within 12 months of their graduation.
What if my institution is in another sector?
Your institution may be in the further education (FE) or in the vocational education and training (VET) sector. If this is the case, it must be registered as such in either the United Kingdom or a British Overseas territory. Additionally, they must be a:
- School or college active in their respective field;
- Either a regional or local public authority, a coordinate body or another organization active in the FE or VET field;
- Public or private organization, or a company hosting, training or working with apprentices or learners, in the VET or FE fields;
- Company or a private or public organization applying for a FE or VET providers consortium.
Not only that, but participants need to be the following:
- FE or VET learners: this is including apprentices;
- no more than 12 months from their VET graduation;
- not currently in a permanent training or education: this is true for people who are re-training or upskilling. However, said training needs to be happening either at a college or school.
You may be in a school in a sector not listed. First, it must be registered either in the United Kingdom or in a British Overseas Territory. Second, one of the following must be true:
- It is providing either a technical, vocational or general education, on a level from primary school until upper secondary education;
- It is a national school consortium: the body needs to be applying for either multiple school, regional or local authorities, a social enterprise, school coordinating bodies, Multi-Academy Trust or another organisation in the school education sector.
How to apply to the Turing Scheme
Note that students are not the ones directly applying to the scheme. Instead, this is the job of the higher educations institutions. Indeed, the Turing Scheme relies on 4 main key objectives. In order to receive funding, institutions need to indicate that their projects’ goals align with the scheme’s objectives:
- Global Britain: this objective aims to reinforce the connection that the United Kingdom has worldwide;
- Levelling up: social mobility is what this objective aims to increase. Additionally, it aims to increase the participation to experiences abroad in all of the United Kingdom;
- Developing key skills: projects must offer a unique opportunity for students to learn skills that increase their employability. Indeed, this can be for both soft and hard skills. This objective aims to decrease the gap often present between the education sector and the work sector;
- Value for UK taxpayers: since the programme relies on UK taxpayer money, the project must provide adequate value for the funding that is provided.
Furthermore, institutions must show that they will help disadvantaged students in accessing their projects. Then, uk organisations and british council will help institutions to enter the Turing Scheme.
Once institutions have applied to the programme, they may win their bid. If this is the case, they are then able to allow students to take advantage of the funding. As such, as a student, you may only receive said funding if your higher education provider was successful in applying for the scheme.
How much can I get with the Turing Scheme?
You may be a student in higher education. If this is the case, the money you would be able to get is generally the same as the money that you would have received with Erasmus. Exactly how much you receive depend on two different factors:
- How long your experience abroad is;
- Where your abroad experience is.
Let’s first look at the “where”. There are different levels of support in the scheme. This relies on the approximate cost of living of the country of study. They are divided into 3 groups:
- Group 1: high cost of living. These countries are deemed to have a high cost of living for students. Examples include Japan and the United States of America;
- Group 2: medium cost of living. These countries are deemed to have a medium cost of living for students. Examples include Brazil, France and Finland;
- Group 3: low cost of living. These countries are deemed to have a low cost of living for students. Examples include China, Bangladesh and Chile.
| Maintenance Loan amounts you can receive for living costs in 2022 | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2022 to 2023 academic year | 2021 to 2022 academic year | |
| You are at or older than 60 years old on the first day of the first year of your academic course | £4,106 or less | £4,014 or less |
| You spend a year abroad and studying for a UK course | £11,136 or less | £10,886 or less |
| Living in London, apart from your parents | £12,667 or less | £12,667 or less |
| Living outside London and apart from your parents | £9,706 or less | £9,488 or less |
| Living with your parents | £8,171 or less | £7,987 or less |
Can I get more if I am a disadvantaged student?
You can earn extra amounts of grant if you are a student that comes from a disadvantaged background. You will be able to get extra help to cover expenses. This may include health insurance, and getting papers like passports and visas. Additionally, as the table above shows, you can get higher grant amounts to be able to cover living costs.
In order to be considered a ‘disadvantaged student’, a few things must apply to you. Indeed, you need to be one of the following:
- An asylum seeker or refugee;
- Have caring responsibilities, are estranged from your parents or care-experienced;
- Either originate from a low-income household or receive benefits from taking care of another child or adult financially.
Additionally, you may be a mature, disabled or part-time student. You likely still qualify. This is also the case if you are the first person in your family to go to university. Lastly, being an ethnic minority student likely also qualifies you.
